Junior Visual Merchandising Manager (Maternity Cover)

By living our values - we play to win, customer obsessed, we are one and it starts with me - we deliver That New Look Feeling for our customers and each other. 

The Role:

Working as part of the visual marketing team, to ensure a commercial and on brand shopping experience is communicated and the delivery of that experience is supported through establishment and maintenance of VM principles and best practice. 

• To work alongside the design, buying and merchandising teams on space planning, merchandising plans, and seasonal objectives.
• To react to trade and seek opportunities to develop the brand positioning of these departments to ensure customer engagement and commercial gain.
• Deputising for the Senior Visual Merchandising Manager and Visual Manager when required

WHATS IN IT FOR YOU:

• 40% staff discount plus friends & family discounts throughout the year
• Access to our reward platform for external discount and offers
• Private pension scheme
• Virtual GP access for you and your children – it allows you to speak to a doctor at a time and date that suits you
• All employees are covered by our life assurance policy from day one
• Unlock extra leave with our buy more holiday scheme.
• Celebrate YOU! Enjoy an extra paid day off on your birthday each year
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, and shared parental leave.
• Spread the cost of your commute with interest-free season ticket loans
• Do your bit for the environment and save money with our Cycle2Work scheme
• We're proud to partner with the Retail Trust and Fashion & Textile Children's Trust

What you’ll be doing:

• Defining principles and best practice which will drive both brand look and feel, as well as commercial benefit to the business
• Drive the customer experience across all store concepts/sizes with a considered and adaptable strategy to work to varied stock packages / levels
• Work to a defined set of visual principles which drive ease of implementation and consistency
• Working alongside the BMD teams to ensure that the product strategy is understood and develop commercial and visual layouts that will drive the sales within each marketing category
• Working with BMD and Space Planning to ensure product ranges are landed to correct space, in correct time frames and coordinated with consistency to seasonal trends/timings.
• Collaborate with the 3D Visualiser to set and test space principles ahead of each product launch, visualise new ideas and elevate the customer experience.
• Drive strategic changes to the store environment across all touchpoints of the store experience – fixtures, signage, POS, messaging, mannequins, props etc.
• Delivery of all required communications – seasonal guidance, model store packs, weekly updates and principle packs
• Continually bringing new ideas and new approaches to product presentation, ways of working and methods of communication.
• Establishing new initiatives, trials, rollouts across the chain.
• Consider omnichannel at the heart of every decision.
• Strong interpersonal skills – role needs to work alongside/collaborate with numerous functions
• Ensure consistent VM messaging and comms are routinely issued on time.
• Establishing timelines aligning all areas of the store experience – POS, seasonal setups, merchandising, styling etc.
• Drive a seamless customer journey with product across windows, trend hotspots and product departments.
• Engage the field VM team and retail partners, to understand the market and local opportunities
• Regularly obtain feedback on strategy, communications delivered, and output gained with retail partners, to continue to develop the VM strategy
• Work alongside the field VM team to implement the seasonal strategy and provide best practice communication via Model Store
• React to trade / commercial opportunities to strengthen product positioning and provide guidance to maximise opportunities
• Remain aware of competitor activity to ensure New Look remains current and reactive to customer needs carrying out regular compshops – summarising key opportunities / actions.
• Support Senior Visual Manager and wider field team through leading by example and illustrating high standard of behaviours

Who you are:

Essential:

• At least 2 yrs experience within Visual Merchandising experience at junior Management level.
• Proven track record of experience within fashion retail, ideally within a high street retailer.
• Proven across VM, windows and styling.
• Experience across store and brand experience – branding, shopfitting, fixtures,

POS, props.

• Proven working alongside buying, merchandising and design teams.
• Fashion retail experience, across multiple categories.
• Excellent knowledge across the fashion and retail industry.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• The ability to adapt and react with pace
• Must be solution driven
• Proven influencer at all levels throughout the business.
• Can present and pitch ideas, lead retail walk throughs and retail engagement.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Team player, ability to collaborate and work alongside peer group.
• Commercial acumen.
• Multi-channel focussed.
• Customer focussed.

Educational, qualifications and technical skills:

• Must be able to use In-design, Photoshop, PowerPoint and Excel. Knowledge of 3D software is an advantage
• Strong interpersonal skills – role needs to work alongside/collaborate with numerous functions
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• The ability to adapt and react with pace
• Must be solution driven